Quite the show these guys...

So I had the privilege of watching this group perform live at Meany Hall last Thursday night. I also attended the reception prior to the show at 6pm and got to nudge elbows with some of the more established individuals in our community, (UW administration, NZ General Consulate to name a few) which was quite an experience all on its own especially when you have company like Dr. Bonus to make fun of..."palangis" cos thats what we do lol

Anyway, Mr Neil Ieremeia, the Founder and Art director of the Black Grace dance company was there to give a few words about some of his inspirations and motivations for starting a company like Black Grace in the first place. I'll be the first to admit that seeing a bunch of polys in a setting like contemporary dance made me uneasy. I mean, we're talking about the kind of dance that make almost no sense...the type where several individuals completely douse themselves in water and then prance and run around on stage like fish out of water...yeah, it makes no sense to me either but its some of what they do

ok, so back to the story...Neil Ieremia, in my opinion, is a pioneer amongst our people...going against the stereotypes of the rugby player or the football player that many Pacific Islander men are so often pidgeon-holed into, and creating an art form that combines the unique talents of his Samoan culture with the interpretive motions that define contemporary dance. Ieremia's talent is made apparent to me just after watching the first of seven excerpts performed that night. Now I'm no expert in dance or anything like that, but I do know good work when I see it...its not a gift, its like common sense! the dancers themselves were a very talented group of Samoans, Niueans, Maoris and Pakeha (white)

To sum it up, you really gotta see these guys live just to appreciate the value of his work. They're also on youtube but I believe they're worth the ticket price...well, thats all for today folks...

catch you on the flip